Hide and Seek
by myoptic recollections
Summary: Of three things Hailey was certain: she was the last of her kind. Jake thought that she was an owl. He also thought he was her soul mate. She had to get the heck out of La Push before she imprinted on him. A superlong-but-sweet twoshot. Complete
1. Chapter 1

I know, I haven't finished Therapy or Imprint's Song yet, so I shouldn't be starting a new story. Unfortunately, my old computer with all of my files/future chapters crashed a month ago, and I didn't have them backed up. Back your documents up :/ Anyway, this was just a momentary distraction while I wait for someone to transfer my files. So I should finish Therapy soonish. In the meantime, enjoy. I'm super-excited about the end of this one tho. Part Two will be up as soon as it's edited, I promise.

Part One

Hailey was running. She was the last of her type that she knew of, and part of her was aware that it was her fault that none of them were here with her. She had been out on a scouting expedition; she had left Scott in charge of patrolling for a little while so that she could find new potential sites. But she had stayed away too long. It was so easy to be lured away when she was in her other state. There was little need for food or water, and she could go for days without sleep, soaring above the wild, untamed desert. She was too far away when she heard Tim's distressed mental call.

The Mencha people by nature, were not fighters. Their ancestors had, for generations, phased into large, desert owls in order to find the safest living areas. They were nomads, always moving to stay away from danger. And Hailey, as the only child of the chief, had naturally become the leader of the flock when she had phased.

She had flown as fast as she could back to camp, but it was too late. The Cold Ones strike swiftly and mercilessly, and her people had had no chance.

Nearly crazy with grief, she had flown north, following the scent of the Cold Ones, but they had veered far to the west, almost to Colorado, and she had lost their scent in a river. She circled the area, flying in ever-widening spirals, scouring the land for a trace of their scent. She barely slept and she didn't eat or sleep. She forgot how much energy her body burned when she was flying. In desperation, she screamed in her head, calling out for Scott and Tim and Leela and all of her fallen comrades.

She was half-relieved, half-horrified when finally, one day, her body just collapsed from exhaustion. The land was unfamiliar, with dark pine trees standing tall above the earth. As Hailey had flown, she had caught occasional scents of the ocean, so she figured she was in California or Oregon. She thought briefly of phasing back, but knew that she couldn't. Not with her entire tribe massacred. She didn't want to be human, didn't want to think. She just wanted to fly.

She could smell water nearby, fresh water. She hopped forward weakly, flapping her wings.  
>There was a rustle in the underbrush behind her. Hailey chanced a glance backward and found a huge russet wolf creeping through the brush, his eyes locked on her. He was far larged than anything Hailey had ever heard about, his shoulders brushing the lower branches of trees even as he was crouched in a hunter's stalk. Somehow, Hailey couldn't find it in her to be scared. She was exhausted. If this was what fate had chosen for her as punishment for failing her tribe, then so be it. She turned and faced him head on, meeting his gaze squarely.<p>

Something changed in the wolf's expression, something almost human. It froze, still watching her. Then, abruptly, it turned and walked away from her.

Hailey collapsed onto the forest floor. Her overexhaustion, dehydration, and this fright combined and she could do nothing more than lay there and look at the leaves above her. Leela would have loved it here, she thought absently.

Suddenly, her sharp hearing picked up the sounds of footsteps in the underbrush. Good, the wolf was coming back to finish her off, she thought serenely. She could join her family, her tribe, in whatever came after. Maybe they would forgive her.

"What are you doing so far from home, huh?" The voice was human. It jerked Hailey from her musing. She didn't know where she was, but it was definitely far from any form of civilization. A man leaned over her. His face was beautiful, she thought drowsily, even as his brow furrowed as he looked at her. He reached down and lifted her up, cradling her in his huge hands. "You look like you need water. And food," he murmured, but Hailey was already drifting away.

* * *

><p>"What do you think, Sal?" Jake asked.<p>

"Malnutrition. Dehydration. Looks like she's exhausted," Sal said, nodding to the unconscious bird on his examining table. "And with good reason, too. This species of owl is native to Arizona and New Mexico. You say you found her up here?" Jake nodded. "She's probably somebody's pet. Maybe you should put some signs up, see if anyone claims her."

Jake's mouth tightened at the thought of giving up this bird, but he didn't say anything. "Does she need medicine or anything? What do I feed her?"

Sal shrugged. "Seeds you have lying around. Bread. Definitely water. Maybe a little meat, but she'll be able to do her own hunting soon. And make sure she stays off that right wing. Looks like she hit it pretty hard at some point. No flying for at least a week or two."

Jake nodded. "Thanks Sal." He gathered up the owl—his imprint—carefully in his hands, both relishing and hating the new responsibility.

* * *

><p>Billy watched Jacob slowly coax the bird down from the cabinet until she perched on his arm. "Son, why the sudden interest in injured wildlife?" he asked finally. It had been two days since Jake had brought the birg home, saying only that he had found it in the woods somewhere. Luckily his dad, with the Quileute respect for animals, hadn't questioned him about it until now.<p>

For the first two days, the bird, had barely moved from his desk except for water and food. Luckily, she seemed to be really intelligent, or maybe just house trained, and made use of the cardboard box he made for a bathroom. Today she had seemed to wake up a bit and had fluttered around the house clumsily on her injured wing.

Jake frowned. "She just…seemed like she needed some help."

"She?"

Jake shrugged, carefully keeping his arm still as he fed her a few sunflower seeds. "I took her to see Sal. She was pretty banged up when I found her."

Billy was silent for a moment. "Jake, what's going on?"

Jake deposited the owl lightly onto the back of a chair and gently brushed the back of one wing. "She's special." He sighed heavily. "I think…I think I imprinted on her."

"On an owl?" Billy sounded beyond skeptical. "Does this have anything to do with Bella?"

Hailey didn't even hear the rest of the conversation. Her brain had refused to hear anything beyond the word imprinted. There was a tradition amongst her people of the shapeshifters finding their soulmates through imprinting. It was simply looking at someone that one was fated for and just feeling a huge sense of love and adoration and dedication for them, even if it was a stranger. Hailey's flock mate Eric had imprinted on a completely random girl from a town they had scouted out, and had had a huge problem explaining their relationship to her.

Hailey's mind was spinning as she digested this new information. Firstly, Jake must be a shapeshifter too, then. Hailey knew that in normal communities, people didn't just find their soul mates by looking at them. She looked at Jake and suddenly had a vision of the huge wolf she had seen before passing out a few nights ago. It was him, she was certain. She could see the lupine aspects as he paced wildly in the small kitchen, his voice occasionally lowering to a growl. He was a wolf shapeshifter. And he was her soul mate.

Panicked, she fluttered awkwardly into the living room. Jake, this random wolf shape shifter, imprinted on her. That meant that he was her soulmate, her forever. As soon as she shifted back to human and looked at him, she would imprint on him. That was how it worked. Imprints were two halves of the same soul.

Part of her was thrilled. In her family, imprinting was a cause for a huge celebration and feasting. It was a big deal, and somewhat of a coming-of-age milestone. She was now certain that Jake would be her one, that he was perfect for her, and they would almost certainly be happy together. She couldn't wait to tell her parents-

Then she remembered that she couldn't tell her parents. They were gone. Hailey couldn't be trapped in La Push. She knew if—when—she imprinted on Jake, she would be physically and emotionally unable to leave him. She wouldn't be able to continue her hunt. She couldn't let Jake know that she was also a shapeshifter, and she couldn't look at him as a human, or she would be stuck here. She had to stay hidden, to hide her other form from Jake. He looked at her with devotion already, she could only imagine what it would be like if he knew she were actually human.

* * *

><p>Apparently, secrets were secrets for a shorter amount of time in a wolf pack than in a flock of owls. The same night that Jake confessed to imprinting on Hailey, one of his pack mates came out investigate. He was a bit shorter and less mature than Jake, but had an infectious laugh.<p>

"So, Jake," Seth started out uneasily. "Sam said something interesting about that bird you found…" He tried but failed to contain his grin at the situation. "Did you seriously imprint on it?"

"Yeah, hardy har har, I imprinted on a stupid owl. Get it all out," Jacob sneered. "At least this way I know I'm free, which is more than the rest of you can say. This is it, this is my imprint, no more waiting around for her. And, I don't have to be forced to love some chick I don't know. This could actually be the best thing that could happen. I never wanted some soulmate to just pop into my life. Now I just have to care for some bird, I have an awesome new pet, and my life can continue on like normal."

Hailey shifted from foot to foot uneasily at his mention of taking care of her. He thought she'd be his forever. And even though she was planning on leaving him before he knew she was human, it was still a little offensive to be taken so lightly by one's soul mate. Seth noticed and laughed. "Dude, I think she's insulted you called her a pet. So did you name her?" Seth asked.

Jake shrugged. "I've just been calling her Owl."

"Dude, she's your imprint. Can't you call her Fido or something?"

Jake studied Hailey thoughtfully. "She's definitely not a Fido. Whiteout? Snowflake? Hedwig?" Hailey ruffled her wings angrily at his stupid names. "Henrietta? Hazel?"

"Oreo?" Seth suggested.

Jake paused for a long moment, looking into Hailey's eyes. Even in her bird form, she was completely transfixed. "Hailey," he declared finally.

A warm glow spread through Hailey. How did he know? Was that some weird imprint intuition?

"Do you think you could train her to sit on your shoulder?" Seth asked. "Like a pirate?" Jake actually growled at that, and threw a pillow at Seth. "Dude, just kidding!" Seth laughed.

* * *

><p>In the short time that Hailey had spent at the Blacks' house, she had begun to feel a reluctant sense of respect for Jake. While he was a bit immature with his friends, and did some stupid things in front of her, he did think that she was a bird. She was learning more about him, like that he was training to take over as Alpha of his pack when the current leader stepped down. He was involved in his tribe's community, and his friends respected him. He spent a lot of time patrolling or fixing cars, but she had also overheard him telling Quil his plans to start a small repair shop in town. And he took good care of his father, who was in a wheelchair.<p>

Hailey could see herself maybe getting to know him and being happy here, which scared her. She needed to get out of here before she forgot about the vengeance that she needed.

Jake, in return, found himself talking to the bird, which seemed a bit crazy at first, but was becoming a soothing release. He told her about his disappointment when Bella left him, his worries for the tribe and the pack and his father. He told her how worried he was about his sisters moving away and his father being alone. He ranted when Sam pulled rank on him, or when his father started bothering him about his future plans.

* * *

><p>When Hailey woke up, she threw her arm across her face to block the incoming sunlight. Her arm. Her human arm.<p>

She bolted upright. How long had she been human for? She was in Jake's room, but he must not have seen her. Or maybe naked girls in his room was so normal that he had shrugged it off, she thought wryly. She could hear his footsteps pattering around in the kitchen.

She tried to shift back to an owl. Her muscles strained, but refused to morph. She had been an owl too long; her body was trying to rebalance itself out.

She couldn't stay here. Every second that she was here was another opportunity for Jake to wander in and find her. Then she would be forced to look in his eyes and she'd be devoted to only him.

The footsteps suddenly came closer to the bedroom door. Hailey, true daughter of the Mencha people, had already evaluated every hiding place in the cramped room. She shoved open the small window and then rolled nimbly underneath the bed, shoving a few boxes between herself and the door.

"Hailey?" Jake asked, sticking his head in the door. "I got some more of those sunflower seeds you like."

Hailey grabbed her stomach to contain the rumbling at the mention of sunflower seeds. They were delicious, and her human side was not as easily fed as her owl form.

"Hailey?" Jake's feet circled the bed. She imagined that he was checking all of the higher ledges in his room. She knew exactly the moment when he noticed the open window from his quiet curse.

Hailey stayed ducked down until he left. Finally, when the coast was clear, she rose slowly and snuck out the door. It felt odd to be back as a human after so long. She had to concentrate to make her arms move normally instead of like wings, and her steps were small and tentative hops at first. How much time had passed since the Cold Ones had attacked her tribe? There was no way to know.

Pushing that thought aside, she scavenged the bottom of the boy's drawers until she found an old shirt and shorts that might fit. Her plan right now was to walk to town, find a store and get some supplies. Then she'd hitchhike south and resume her search for her family's killers.

Setting off on the dirt road towards town, she fended off her lingering worries. "Do you even know where you are? How are you going to track these killers down?" asked the reasonable part of her mind, which sounded remarkably like Tim. "What are you going to do if you find them? You're not a fighter."

Hailey swiped at her eyes, refusing to break down on the road. "Shut up, Tim. You left me alone here. I need to do something."

She heard a lone pickup truck rambling up the road behind her. It slowed next to her, but she ignored it. "Hey, you need a lift?"

Hailey's head snapped up. Seth threw her a grin from the passenger seat.

She couldn't tell if he recognized her or not. Hailey scanned the truck, not recognizing either the large man behind the wheel or the third person in the bed of the truck. They were all wolf shapeshifters, she knew with certainty. If she got too close, they would smell their packmate on her and become suspicious. Or tell him about her, and she couldn't have him knowing about her human self. It was only a matter of time before Jake contacted them and told them about his missing owl. They would start to put two and two together.

But...she was tired, and not exactly sure how far away the town was, or where it was.

"Come on, we don't bite. You heading to town?" Seth asked.

She smiled tentatively at him and nodded, vaulting easily into the back.

The man in the back nodded to her, shoving his chin length hair out of his face. "I'm Embry," he said. "That's Quil and Seth in the cab." He stopped as she sat across from him, his eyes studying her borrowed outfit. He raised his eyebrows but said nothing.

He thinks I slept with Jake last night, Hailey realized in mortification. She had no better explanation for being barefoot in guys' clothes in a strange town though, so she let it slight. Instead, she said simply, "I'm Hailey."

The rest of the short ride was spent in awkward silence. Hailey concentrated on memorizing the lay of the land just in case she needed it. Finally, Quil stopped the truck in a small street in what seemed to be the center of town. There was a diner on the corner, a general store on the left and a hardware store on the right. Past that was a small school and a playground surrounded by a scattering of houses.

"Thanks for the ride!" Hailey called, darting out of the vehicle.

"Wait!" It was Seth again. She turned reluctantly and met his gaze. He stared at her for a minute, confused. "Have we met before?"

Hailey shook her head quickly. "I don't think so. Bye!" She spun and walked away quickly.

"That was bizarre," she heard Quil say with her sharpened hearing.

"What? She seemed nice," Seth replied. Embry laughed.

Hailey rolled her eyes and headed into the store. She had twenty dollars that she'd snuck from Jake's wallet (She felt kind of bad about it, but in comparison to the average imprint she bet twenty bucks was relatively cheap. Lord knew Shana had made Eric pay dearly for his imprint.) She wandered down the aisle. She needed a lot of calories and protein in a small compact form. She grabbed a pack of beef jerky and then paused in front of the almonds. Leela would like cashews better, she thought, picking those up instead. Then she put the nuts down angrily. Leela wasn't here anymore. Hailey turned away, wiping her eyes.

"Can I help you?" asked someone rudely from right behind her. Hailey jumped, wondering how she had gotten so close so quietly. The girl behind her was tall and musclular looking. Another shifter. She wore a red apron that read, "Clearwater General Store."

"No," Hailey snapped. "I'm fine."

"Good," the other shifter said disdainfully, stalking back towards the register. "Hurry it up, we close early on Saturday."

Hailey scowled at her back, taking another beef jerky and then four waterbottles and tossing them on the register.

"That'll be eight fifty," the employee said, blowing a bubble of gum.

The door to the stoor swung open.

"We're closed," the cashier said without looking up.

"Leah, meeting!" Seth called. His normally chipper expression was darkened with worry. He frowned when he saw Hailey.

"Tell him I have plans," Leah said under the range of normal human hearing, handing Hailey her change.

"His imprint's missing, Lee," Seth said seriously at the same volume. "Jake's going crazy."

Hailey edged towards the door, and both wolves continued to ignore her as she fiddled with her bags. She felt a twinge of guilt that Jake had noticed her missing so soon, and that he was actually worried. It was a bit unfair of her to run off before the mystical spirits bounded her to him when he was already attached to her.

"Well you tell him that I don't care about his precious little imprint," Leah said softly but viciously.

Seth sighed. "You need to just forgive Sam and move on. Don't let this ruin your life." Then, like a flash, he was out the door.

Hailey turned slowly and looked at the cashier-Leah. Leah scowled at her. "We're closed now."

Hailey tugged at her lip as she considered the older girl. For some reason, Leah hated the idea of imprinting. As much as she hated to admit it, Hailey needed help if she was going to get out of town soon without seeing Jake. "Can I tell you a secret?" she asked randomly. "Can you keep it? From them?" She nodded to the window, where Seth was climbing back into Quil's truck.

Leah's scowl deepened. "Look, I don't really care about your little secrets-"

"I'm Jake's imprint," Hailey burst out. "I need help getting out of town."

Leah's mouth dropped open. "What?"

"Look, it's a long story, and I don't really have time for it now," Hailey said quickly. "But if he finds me, if I look at him, I'll imprint on him. Then I won't have a choice, and I'll be stuck here. I need to leave. Do you have a car?"

Leah frowned deeply before finally nodding. "I can get you to Forks. You'll have to find your way from there," she said finally.

Hailey breathed out deeply. "Thank you."

* * *

><p>Review?<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Part Two

Leah's truck was halfway to the border of La Push when a wolf howled on the side of the road. Leah scowled and pulled over.

Hailey's heart was racing as she saw the wolf dart back into the woods. Her first instinct went to her ancestral roots: hide. She glanced about and decided the best spot was in the back seat.

"Chill, I'll get rid of him," Leah said. "Just don't say anything."

Hailey nodded slowly. Right, just trust Leah.

Quil came walking up to Leah's window dressed only in a pair of jean shorts. "Lee, we need you. Where are you going?" he asked angrily. "Who's this?"

"That's my mom's new employee, stupid," Leah shot back. "I'm giving her a ride back to Forks. You're creeping her out," she added quietly.

Quil raised his eyebrows. "I didn't know your mom hired a new person." Then he paused. "We picked her up this morning outside of Jake's house."

Hailey didn't wait to see what conclusion he would draw from this, but Quil now knew that she was involved somehow. Her first instinct was of course flight. Without warning, she threw open the truck door. Her body still refused to phase, but she was an expert at hiding.

She heard Quil and Leah both shouting at her, but she left that behind her as she ran lightly over the undergrowth, her bare feet flying lightly over the earth.

Quil was behind her, but he was larger and heavier, not as natural in running in his human form as she was. By human standards, they were both flashes, but by supernatural standards, Hailey was designed light and small for running and flying. Quil was built huge and strong for fighting.

But Quil also knew this forest like the back of his hand, and he had her scent now.

Hailey panicked, throwing out an extra burst of speed. Up ahead, she could smell salt water and feel a strong breeze. Then, suddenly, the treeline, and the ground ended.

Quil was shouting at her to stop, to watch for the cliffs, but Hailey couldn't stop. She couldn't be trapped or contained, and she was going too fast. Her feet flew swiftly off the side of the cliff, and her human body hurtled down towards the water. For a brief second she panicked, thinking that her body would defy her again. But feeling the strong rush of the wind past her fingertips, it was easier and natural to morph smoothly into her other form, her (Jake's) clothes plunging down towards the water.

She circled back for a minute and saw Quil standing on the side of the cliffs. He looked like he was saying something, but the wind carried his words away. With a strange feeling of regret, Hailey turned and soared away.

* * *

><p>"Jake!" Quil and Leah both shouted. They appeared to be racing in human form to where Jake was pacing the forest floor as a wolf. He would alternate between clawing at tree trunks and attacking branches and running in crazy circles in anger. Quil shot Leah a smirk and phased before her. She crossed her arms with a hmph, thinking about how stupid boys didn't know the value of having at least one pair of shoes that fit without tearing them up with your paws.<p>

Jake could barely concentrate on what Quil was telling him telepathically until Quil impressed upon him that he found his imprint. "She's human! She's an owl shapeshifter!"

Jake slowly forced himself to stop panicking, to quiet the voice that said that his imprint was an owl that could be anywhere now and that he would be alone and depressed forever. Finally, he comprehended what Quil was saying to him enough to ask to see his memories. Quil showed him picking up some random girl with the same name as his imprint outside of Jake's house at about the time that Hailey had gone missing, and then dropping her off at the Clearwaters' store. Then he fast forwarded to his confrontation with Leah in the car and the chase through the forest, ending with Hailey's cliff dive.

"You chased my imprint off of a cliff?" Jake roared at Quil, taking a swipe at him. Quil danced out of range easily.

"Dude, she's an owl! She was fine!"

"Really, that's the only part of this whole thing that you absorbed?" Leah asked with a mental eye roll, joining them. "Your imprint is a _human_, Jake. And she is probably on the next bus out of Forks. Wait! But she isn't ready for you yet. You need to back of Jake. She doesn't want an imprint."

"Neither do I!" Jake shot back. Then he stopped to consider the girl he had seen in their memories. She was attractive, at least. Even in guys' (his, he thought with possessive satisfaction) clothes and unkempt hair, she was pretty. And she had guts, jumping off a cliff like that. She was a fighter, unlike Bella. If he had to be tied to life to someone, he could do a lot worse than her. He cocked his head at Quil. "Let's go find her," he said.

"Jake, seriously, she doesn't want an imprint," Leah warned. "Don't force her into anything…"

"Like I've been forced?" Jake asked with a cynical laugh. "It'd only be fair."

"You don't know anything about her!" Leah said, stomping a paw. "What if she had a life before you? A boyfriend, a family? She sure isn't even from around here. Do you want to take away her free will?"

"Leah," Quil whined, but Jake was already hanging his head.

"You're right," he admitted. He clawed angrily at an unfortunate tree, then turned to Quil. "I'm going to make sure she gets on the bus safe, then, I guess."

Quil nodded and loped after Jake silently, knowing the imperative to keep one's imprint safe would overcome all other things.

* * *

><p>Hailey made it to the Forks bus station, having changed into a sundress someone had left out on a line. She had no money for a ticket, but she was pretty sure she could sneak onto the bus when no one was watching. She pulled out the schedule. Where did she even start? She had lost the vampires' trail somewhere in Colorado, but they could be anywhere now.<p>

She sat on a bench, feeling oddly lonely. She barely knew Jake, and she hadn't imprinted, but somehow she knew that she had just left her soul mate, sad and broken in La Push. She refused to let the guilt overwhelm her though; she hadn't asked for an imprint, and she had enough sins to atone for. She had to concentrate on her family first, and then tall wolf men in Washington.

"I wish you were here, Leela. I really need to talk to you," she whispered.

The wind shifted and Hailey smelled them. Vampires. She was on her feet and running quickly in their direction before she had fully thought about it.

There they were, a group of six people too still, too pale, too perfect to be normal. Suddenly, one of them, a man with orange hair, jerked his head upwards from where he was talking to a shorter, man. A human.

"Excuse me," he said to the human quietly. The vampire met her far too quickly and Hailey pulled up short. She had never actually attacked anyone, and she didn't know what to do when they were in public and whatnot. But she couldn't let him get away! The vampire raised his eyebrows. "Really, in the middle of a crowd of people?" he asked mockingly. "We're not the ones you're looking for. We don't hunt people or shapeshifters, and we've been in Washington for the past four years. Ask your wolves."

She gasped. "Stay out of my head, leech!" she hissed.

Then someone stepped up from behind her. "Is there a problem here?"

Hailey closed her eyes, a chill going down her spine at Jake's voice. She refused to look over at him, keeping her eyes on the more immediate threat.

The vampire spread his hands peaceably. "My family and I are just dropping Charlie off. No problem." He looked at Hailey thoughtfully. "But we may be able to help you find them."

Beside her, Jake bristled. "Stay away from my imprint, Cullen!"

Hailey ignored him. Could she trust this leech? She had no other leads to go on, as the killers could be anywhere now, but Tim would never forgive her for walking into a trap. What else did she have now, though? It's not like she had much to lose. She nodded.

"I'll check around and see what people have heard. You know where to find us," the vampire said.

Hailey nodded. Their scent would be hard to miss.

The vampire backed away slowly to join his…family? Who knew they had families.

Jake grabbed her wrist and spun her around to face him. Hailey shut her eyes quickly, not wanting to meet his gaze and imprint. As long as she didn't see him, it couldn't happen. But she couldn't stop the odd warmth that spread through her body from his touch. "What the heck were you thinking? Who are you, anyway?"

"I don't think I know you," Hailey said, trying to make her voice sound angry and confused without looking at him. "Let go of me."

"Bull!" Jake spat. "What are you? A bird shapeshifter? Look at me!"

Hailey fought to keep her voice quiet and calm. She grabbed Jake's arm and pulled it off her wrist. "Stop it! We're in public, and you're going to attract attention." She turned away from him so she could open her eyes, and saw Quil and Embry standing a bit away watching them. Both were in just cutoff shorts. They must have just phased, and that was how Jake knew so much about her now. "Look," Hailey said to Jake without looking at him. "I appreciate your concern, but I can take care of myself."

"Oh, is that what you call getting into fights with leeches?" Jake cursed. "Hailey, look at me."

"I can't," she whispered, blinking back tears. "I'm sorry. I can't imprint. Not now."

"What? So you'll let me be completely bound to you, but you won't return it? That's really cruel."

The tears were flowing quickly now, but she wouldn't turn around. "I need to leave. I have something I need to do before…anything else." She sniffed. "Besides, you didn't really want an imprint either. You just wanted a pet." She knew her words cut deeply, but she needed him to back off.

"Hailey, don't do this." Jake's voice was pleading, and Hailey had to stop herself from looking up to reassure him. "Let me help you. Let me protect you."

She shook her head. Part of her was determined. She couldn't join this new family without avenging her old. If she couldn't protect her old tribe, what could she possibly offer her next one? Hailey refused to be a liability.

Even though she hadn't imprinted on him, she could feel Jake's heart breaking as she stared at the pavement. "I'll come back," she promised suddenly. "This isn't forever. I just need to take care of some things and then we can…figure this out."

"How long?" His voice was choked up. Embry and Quil were looking away awkwardly. Hailey shook her head, unsure. "Take my cell phone." He grabbed her hand and pressed a small silver phone into it. "Can you keep it with you if you phase? Just text me…text Quil so I know you're ok. Please."

Hailey wiped her eyes roughly. "I can do that." She closed her eyes and turned, her supernatural senses easily finding him and she hugged him. And then, true to her Mencha instincts, she was gone.

* * *

><p>Hailey had to wait in the woods for an hour before she tracked down the vampires. She blamed the mad rollercoaster of her emotions on Jake's imprint on her, but she knew she had to be completely alert if she was walking into a den of vampires.<p>

The Cullens were wary of letting any type of shapeshifter into their home, but true to their word, they had discovered who had attacked her tribe. It was a group of four vampires at the time, but one had been killed since then. Edward informed her that the remaining three were currently living outside of Cincinnati. Edward's girlfriend, Bella, had given Hailey the strangest looks for the whole time that she was in their house, but Hailey ignored her.

The rest of Cullens seemed weirdly sympathetic to Hailey's situation, which she didn't understand until Esme explained their pacifist lifestyle. They even loaded Hailey up with supplies and gave her some tips on how to fight vampires.

"So you don't awkwardly choke in the middle of a bus station again," the big one, Emmett, had joked.

* * *

><p>Embry paused outside Jake's door, unsure of what to expect inside. Finally, he just barged in.<p>

"What? What's wrong?" Jake demanded, whirling on his friend. "Is there a leech?"

"Dude, chill, I'm just checking on you," Embry said, surveying Jake's bedroom. The bed was rumpled and unmade, and there was food and car parts and random junk all over. A bag of sunflower seeds was scattered on the floor near the doorway. "How are you holding up?" Embry asked, even though he already knew.

"Well, my imprint rejected me and then decided to go across the country, alone, at the advice of a bunch of bloodsuckers of questionable intent, on a suicide mission to kill some vampires. Oh, and she's not answering her cell phone! My cell phone!" He growled as he waved Quil's phone at Embry. "And if stupid Sam hadn't Alpha ordered me to stay here I could be there protecting her, instead of moping around my bedroom!" He lapsed into some imaginative swears directed at Sam.

Embry nodded solemnly. "Ok, well, that does all sound…bad." He scratched his chin awkwardly. "But she did promise to come back…"

Jake started pacing wildly through his room. "I'm texting her again."

Embry rolled his eyes. "Jake, do you love her?"

Jake stopped abruptly. "What? No! She's just some chick that I thought was an owl that lived in my room for a few days! I don't even know her."

Embry hesitated. "Could you love her?"

Jake sighed and sat on his bed. "I don't know? Probably. Some day. It just…freaks me out that my whole world revolves around her, and she doesn't seem to care. Or even like me. I saved her, she didn't even thank me! Or mention that she was a human. And, oh my god, Embry, she's seen me swear! And I told the owl—her—I told her like everything! Bella, werewolf, me being pissed at Becca and Rachel…"

"Dude she turns into a bird, you think she cares that you told her about being a werewolf?" Embry chuckled. "Cut her a break, remember what Cullen said? She's grieving for her family and trying to find closure and then some random stranger imprints on her. And she sort of had a choice. Think about it. She knows she's going to imprint on you if she looks at you! Would you have chosen to imprint, if you knew? It's such a huge commitment. Would you choose to be pacing here in your bedroom freaking out about some girl you barely know? Can you blame her?" Jake's face fell even more and Embry felt a twinge of regret for saying it. "Look man, she said she'd come back, you can't sit here and worry about it. Give her some distance, and if it's meant to be, and fortunately you know it's meant to be, she'll come back."

Jake rubbed his face. "I guess." He stood up. "I'm going for a run. I'll see you later."

* * *

><p>Once Hailey got off the bus in Ohio, it was a long three months. She followed the vampires around, mostly in owl form. Hailey had to find a safe spot from which to observe them, and another to retreat to that she knew they couldn't follow her to. She learned their habits, their routines. She knew who they talked to and where they went. And finally, when she was ready, she struck.<p>

Hailey had planned to take down the male first when he was away from home, before luring out the older woman and then finishing off the younger. And yet, with the element of surprise, at the end of a long and difficult battle, she found herself unable to lay the killing blow once she defeated the male vampire. She pinned him down, her gun raised to his head, and felt tears coursing down her cheeks.

She couldn't do it.

She laid her gun down and, fast as the wind, was phased and gone.

She cried all that night. She felt like she had failed her family.

Hailey finally opened Jake's old phone and found a slew of new texts, all from him on Quil's phone. The first were curious, and then he became worried and angry when she never responded. Hailey bit her lip, and experimented with the buttons until she could open a new message. _It's done_. She wrote finally. _I couldn't do it, but I'm safe_.

She wasn't planning on waiting for an answer, but one came almost instantly. _Come home._

She stared at it for a long time. Was La Push home now? If not, where was home? She couldn't go back to Arizona. What did she have to live for anymore? She had completely failed her family and her flock. She was a coward and a disgrace.

Hailey shut off the phone and extinguished her campfire. This place was a place of regret and failure. She couldn't stay here. She took to her wings and flew.

* * *

><p>That night, in her delirium, she dreamed of her old flock. They stood around her, watching her.<p>

"What are you doing?" Tim, always so reasonable, asked. "We're not fighters."

"I know," Hailey whispered. She felt oddly ashamed of herself. "I'm sorry, I tried to avenge you all, I really did. I just couldn't do it. I wasn't strong enough."

"We don't want you to kill for us!" Leela cried. "We want you to be happy, Hales."

"How can I be happy without you all?" Hailey asked sadly. "I miss you so much." She was crying even in her dreams, she though in disgust.

Leela reached forward as if to grab her hand, but Matt pulled her back at the last second. "We miss you too, Hailey. But you can't do this to yourself. We need you to live for us."

"But I let you all down."

"It's not your fault," Tim protested. "If any, it's mine. We didn't have enough people on patrol. We were unprepared. People make mistakes. But an even bigger mistake would be to throw away your life when you still have it. Go on, Hailey. Live."

Hailey tried to reach out to them in her dreams, but like in the Arizona desert, they were just a bit too far out of her reach.

* * *

><p>When Hailey woke up, she wasn't sure where to go. She was a nomad, a wanderer, and she had no home now. But she did have one outstanding debt to pay. The winds carried her naturally to Washington. There was just one thing she needed to do first, and she spent a long time scouting out a suitable spot.<p>

The cliff edge was far from any trails or roads. Just a barren patch of rocks with a few hardy trees growing out over the water. Hailey sat back on her heels and looked at her creation. On one of the flatter rock faces, she had carefully etched, "In loving memory of the Mencha tribe," in her native language and then English and the date of the attack. She bent her head and recited the traditional funeral prayers.

Finally, after a long moment, she stood and backed away from it. She could smell a different scent on the wind behind her, heard the leaves rustling quietly, but she was not afraid. Rather, she felt an odd draw towards it. And when warm arms finally wrapped around her gently but firmly from behind, she sighed and leaned back against his chest instead of fighting or questioning it. He rested his chin lightly on top of her heard, and she could feel his whole body relaxing in her presence. He breathed in deeply, just catching her scent.

"Caught you," Jacob Black said quietly.

She smiled and hummed softly in agreement, her arms resting on top of his. "I'm sorry I ran," she said.

His arms tightened slightly. "Are you done running?"

She closed her eyes and nodded. "If you'll have me."

"Of course I will," he said fiercely. Then his tone softened. "But if you don't want to imprint on me, that's fine. I always wanted a choice, and I'm thrilled with having imprinted on you, but I would never take your choice away." He held her tighter, stopping her from turning to look at him. "I'm serious. I would love it if you imprinted on me, but I want you to be absolutely certain."

Hailey grabbed his hands. "I appreciate the choice Jake, but it's always been you. You've always been my choice. I just wasn't ready to admit it when you were. Imprint or not, I came back for you. Just you."

She could feel his heart beating much too fast, meeting the racing of hers. "Close your eyes," he murmured. She obeyed, and he spun her around and kissed her. It was soft, and slow, and gentle, but he filled it with all of his longing and confusion and uncertainty. And she kissed him back, trying to reassure him and herself. This was right. They were right. And for the first time since she heard Tim's strangled distress call, she felt complete.

He pulled back, keeping her safely in the circle of his arms, as if scared that she would fly away again. She opened her eyes, and for the first time as a human saw Jake's face. The world spun and tilted crazily, but his dark gaze and strong arms held her back down to the earth. And she was caught by his eyes, but not ensnared or entrapped. She was entranced. She smiled serenely before Jake crushed her to his chest in a hug.

"Please don't leave me again," he whispered.

"Never," she said quietly.


End file.
